Us Explains How the Battle for Attention in Hollywood Gets Dirty

In a world where nothing is off-limits, how do Hollywood stars take the attention back from internet personalities? By sharing some major TMI moments, of course.

Living in the age of social media has allowed showbiz’s Gen Z newcomers to experience a quick rise to the top … and they’re not going anywhere. While Us is totally on board with their Just Like Us (see what we did there?) moments, this new class of standouts has led traditional celebs to make bolder choices with what they share in the public eye — especially when it comes to sex.

But this begs the question: Are A-listers crossing a line to keep the attention on them, or are they fulfilling the world’s desire for an aspirational relationship? Us will be the judge. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, talking about S-E-X is no longer as taboo as it used to be, and this is something we can all agree on. Katy Perry, for one, had no qualms when revealing on a September “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode that fiancé Orlando Bloom is getting his “d— sucked” (her words, not ours) as a reward for household chores. “That is my love language!” the singer declared to host Alex Cooper. “Just do the f—ing dishes!” Who knew that’s how some long-term relationships work?!

Similarly, Benny Blanco was open about what gets girlfriend Selena Gomez in the mood. “Whenever I want to put a smile on her face or get laid, I just make her steak,” the songwriter declared in an April Instagram Story. Well, people can’t seem to get enough of them as a couple, so spilling their spicy secrets must be working.

One of Hollywood’s most jaw-dropping bedroom confessions of late came from two actors who aren’t even a real-life couple. Andrew Garfield revealed during an October podcast appearance that he and We Live in Time costar Florence Pugh were so into their “very intimate, passionate sex scene” that they “never heard cut” and took things “a little bit further” than the moment called for. In the past, we’d think a filming faux pas like that would be kept on the quiet side. But hey, no judgment here — it only makes Us love them more. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see that cut of the movie?

Sabrina Carpenter has gotten the best of both worlds in the past year as she skyrocketed from niche artist to superstar. So, is it a coincidence that her hits and quips have gone from tongue-in-cheek to downright dirty? Her “Nonsense” outros have become earworms as they’ve gotten more NSFW with each live performance (like when she referenced being “30 Rock hard” during her appearance on Saturday Night Live). The raunchier the confession or song lyric, the more traction the star gets, even if they have people clutching their pearls. But this does lead to a bigger conversation: Has opening our lives to social media allowed for a lack of privacy? The short answer is yes.

But do A-list celebrities now feel pressure to compete with daily vloggers and sex-positive podcast hosts (shout-out to Father Cooper) with millions of followers where nothing — and we mean nothing — is off-limits? One thing’s for sure: Us is hanging on their every word, TMI and all.